In professional tennis matches ball boys are employed to hurry across the court for the purpose of retrieving spent balls that have struck the net and would otherwise present a hazard to the players who are intent on watching the ball in motion. In casual games, however, and particularly during instruction exercises, the expense of ball boys is not justified and it is the purpose of this invention to provide a net that will keep the great majority of spent balls confined off the playing court where the players or instructors will not be required to spend their court time retrieving them.